To the editor: The justification used by CBS News Editor in Chief Bari Weiss for pulling a “60 Minutes” segment on the, as CBS News called it, “brutal and torturous” prison conditions at CECOT in El Salvador, isn’t going to pass most people’s smell test (“CBS News correspondent accuses Bari Weiss of ‘political’ move in pulling ‘60 Minutes’ piece,” Dec. 21). Americans have every right to see the ramifications of carrying out seemingly indiscriminate deportations, often without due process.
Once a prestigious investigative news program where icons such as Mike Wallace and Morley Safer graced the screen, “60 Minutes” under Weiss has permanently altered its stellar reputation. Instead of ingratiating herself to President Trump’s allies, she should be focused on delivering fact-based journalism and steering CBS News to continue to produce credible programming that viewers have demanded over its long and storied past. Countless viewers, myself included, have formed a tight bond of trust with CBS News from an accumulation of credible reporting, only to see it unwisely squandered in a blink of an eye.
Discerning Americans are not convinced by the defense that the administration’s viewpoint was not included, because officials were reportedly given the opportunity to provide statements or be interviewed on camera for the story. Weiss, save us the lecture that you’re trying to bring balance to CBS News. This reads more like a brazen effort to curry favor with an administration that has been untethered to facts.
Anthony Arnaud, Laguna Niguel